Ability to Adapt Sets Coaches Apart

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, December 23, 2000

THE UNIFORMS spelled out "DUKE" in bold, familiar letters. Granted, those uniforms were black with blue trim -- not even an elite school is above the "alternative" look, in the name of souvenir-sparked revenue -- but these were still the Blue Devils.

And off they went, racing back and forth as if they played for Kentucky in the Rick Pitino days. Or, in wacky moments when point guard Jason Williams dashed downcourt at warp speed, you could almost picture UNLV with Jerry Tarkanian nervously chewing on his towel.

Stanford also looked out of character. The Cardinal were big and strong, as always, but they rarely passed the ball into the low post in the first half. Even their typically methodical, efficient offense vanished, no match for Duke's quick, athletic players.

Then, suddenly, Stanford reinvented itself on the fly. Backup guard Julius Barnes soared to the hoop while flamboyantly palming the ball in his left hand,

briefly reminiscent of another player named Julius (that would be Erving). Here came the Cardinal, producing a breathtaking comeback victory.

If nothing else, Thursday night's memorable Stanford-Duke game should serve as a lesson to basketball coaches across the land. Learn to adapt. Be flexible.

The coach may run the show, but the players are the show.

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Stanford's Mike Montgomery preside over two of the nation's top programs for ample reasons. They might be the two best coaches, period, given the way they merge their own philosophy with the talent on hand.

Somehow, it's hard to picture this as Krzyzewski's ideal way to play basketball. Consider his background: He played at Army, later coached there and learned from none other than Bobby Knight, a man obsessed with control and discipline.

Krzyzewski has his controlling side, no question, as evident in the way he actively works the sideline during games, shouting instructions to his players.

Even so, he gives this team remarkable freedom.

Time after time against Stanford, Williams and Shane Battier took shots early in the shot clock. That's an NBA thing, one reason the pro game has become so dreadful. But Williams and Battier never really took bad shots; rather, they dominated the action and carried Duke to a 13-point lead by halftime.

Two plays captured the fast pace and rampant creativity. First, Williams spun toward the basket with striking grace, eluded one Stanford player on the perimeter and another on his way to the basket for an electrifying layup. The crowd roared in appreciation.

Later in the first half, guard Chris Duhon lofted a long alley-oop pass in the general direction of teammate Mike Dunleavy. He snagged the ball in mid- air and somehow flipped in an acrobatic, reverse layup. Again, the crowd howled in delight.

Montgomery, similarly, showed his flexible side in helping Stanford dig out of its early hole. He is not exactly prone to flexibility; the Cardinal became an annual national contender by adhering to his time-honored system of rugged inside play, good 3-point shooting and a structured offense.

That's why it was so shocking when Montgomery had Brevin Knight, a quick and dynamic point guard, roaming free in the mid-1990s. To his credit, Montgomery adjusted and Knight twice led the Cardinal into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, once taking them to the Sweet 16. (Those were Stanford's first tournament victories since 1942, incidentally).

Now, this season, Stanford's best player is Casey Jacobsen -- not a Mark Madsen-type power forward, not a Knight-like point guard. Jacobsen could become an All-America shooting guard/small forward, the kind who can shoot the lights out from 3-point land or bank home the game-winner, as he did Thursday night.

So when Stanford's low-post game disappeared against Duke, Jacobsen rode to the rescue. He had help from Barnes, a player who tests Montgomery's patience and loyalty to the system.

Barnes is light years more athletic than backup point guard Tony Giovacchini. It was almost painful watching Giovacchini trying to defend Williams; he had practically no chance, given the disparity in quickness.

Contrary to habit, then, Montgomery used Barnes for 10 crucial minutes in the second half. He gave Stanford the athleticism it needs against teams like Duke, pumping life into the offense.

Before long, Montgomery will confront an interesting dilemma. Barnes gives the Cardinal a dimension they need to compete for the national title, but he tends to play out of control, taking wild shots. That's the fastest way to land on the bench at Stanford.

Then again, the best coaches teach, coax and adapt. Expect nothing less from Krzyzewski and Montgomery -- and do not be shocked to see a Stanford-Duke encore in March. If it's anything like Thursday night's game, you will not want to miss it.